Addison bradfobd



(No Model.)

A. BBADPORD.

LUBRICATOE.

y //////////////////////////[///////////////////l/l/l//l/l// Patnted July 3, 1883.

TVITNESSAN 0 L p N Attorney UNITED STATES pATENT FFICQ.

ADDISON BRADFORD, OF BBOOKLYN, NEXV YORK.

LUBRICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 280,562, dated July 3, 1883.

Application filed December. 11. 1882. (No model.)

To all whom ?lb may concern:

Be it known that I, ADDIoN BRADFORD, of Brooklyn, in' the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and use- 5 ful Improvements in Lubricators; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the inventin,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of this specification.

This invention relates to lubricators for journal-bearings, and is particularly applicable to 1 'the bearings and journals of car-axles.

Heretofore lubricators for bearings have been made of fibrous materials, saturated with lubricating material, which, after being some time in contact with the bearing-surfaces, becomes crusty, and fails to supply the proper quantity of lubricant. Distributilig-rollers in contact with the journal-bearings have also been employed with more or less merit, but are also more or less objectionable. Some of them fail to supply the lubricant to the journals when it falls below a certain depth in the oil-well. Others are complicated and liable to get out of order. Therefore' to overcome and avoid these obj ections, and to produce a simple, cheap,

0 and effective lubricator, is the object of my invention.

My invention consists in mounting on a simple frame-work a series of loose-fitting rollers in such manner that while the distrbuting or 3 5 lubricating rollers are free to yield and adjust themselves to the varying movements of the aXle and to the various sizes and constructions i of aXle-boXes by means of flexible connections, they areat the same time in contact with the 40 dipping or stationary roller which Supplies the lubricant, the periphery of the stationary roller being just sufficiently above the bottom of the oil-reservoir to escape contact there-- with, so that while there is any oil or lubricant in the oil well or box it is supplied and transmitted to the distributingrollers, and thence to the journal-bearngs.

My invention further consists in the combination, with the frame and lubricating-roller,

and coeflicient therewith, of means for preventing the waste of the lubricant, which, 'by

the present constructions, is carried over the oil-box by the axle. By my device this otherwise waste lubricant is eaused to drip back into the oil well or reservoir.

` The accompanying drawings show different means for carrying my invention into effect, in which- Figure l represents a longitudinal vertical section of an ordinary caraxle box or reservoir with my lnbricator in position. Fig. 2 represents an end elevation. of the lubricator detached. Fig. 3 shows a modification of the same. Fig. 4 illustrates my lubricator and oil-saving device in perspective, and Fig. 5 a modified form of one of my lubricating-rollers.

The same letters denote like parts in all the figures.

A is an. ordinary aXle-boX, and B the car axle. C is the brass or journal box, and D the bearer. Upon the bottom of the boX A is loeated the framework which carries my improved lubricating and oil-saving device, in which E represents the frame; (t I), theadjustable or accommodating rollers, supported by arms c d, and held adjustably together by the fleX'ible spring e. These rollers a I are supported and connected to the stationary or laterally-moving roller f, which is in turn supported in journal-bearings in the frame E. The frame E simply rests upon the bottom of aXle-box, and incapable of adjusting itself to any variations of the axle.

The spring e may be of any approved shape, form, or style, its object being to hold the distributing-rollers in contact with the journal of the aXle, and in such manner, as to yield to the irregular up-and-down'and lateral movement of the aXle. It may be said that the manner of connecting and sustaining the lubricatingrollers upon the supply-roller pernits them to have an oscillating and a vibratory movement, so that, no matter what direction the journal of the aXle takes, the oil-rollers will be in contact therewith. Should the space between the axle and the bottom of the axle-box be small, the spring will yield sufficiently to permit the oiling-rollers to assume nearly the horizontal plane of the feeding or dipping roller. It will be therefore observed that the rollers never fail to supply the axle-journal with a proper amount of lubricant as long as IOO any remains in the box or oil-well. Asmany of these rollers may be used as desired, although one will generally be 'found ample.

Referring to Fig. 3, which shows a modified form from that of Figs. 2 and 4, the fraine is provided with an upwardly-prqiecting lug, g, and which is provided with a vertical slot, I, in which works Vertically the trunnions of a single oil-roller. A corresponding horizontal slot, is made in the side of the frame 'l'or the reeeption and working of the trunnion of the supply-roller, and to this trunnion I connect a suitable spring, Ic, which retains the two wheels or rollers in contact.

The operation of this device is: When the axle B bears down upon the oiling-roller 97, roller j yields, which permits roller i' to slide down automatically, and still be retained in contact both with the supplyaroller and with the axle by the tension ofthe spring 7.

Any form or design may be employed either for the supply or distributing rollers, one of which is shown at Fig. 5. l'n this instance the face ot' the roller is groored, as seen at l. In this groove I place ring m, of fibrous or other material-such as leather or rubber*the object being, if found necessary, to inclose the adhesive hearing or i'rietional contact of the rollers to each other and to the journal.

F shows the oil-saying device attached to the frame of the lubricators, although it may he iiulepeinlent and fixed on a frame of its own.

G G are arms fixed to f 'ame E and extcnding therefrom to near the inner end of the journal-bearing and within the cz'u'axle box A. At the ends of the arms G G are standards H H, at right angles therewith, (or the arms may he bent to right angles,)and upon these stand ards I locate ordinary spiral or other springs, These springs sustain a cross-bar, J, and upon this bar J, l suspend or locate a (lrip-cloth or other suitable device which will trap or strip the oil from the axle B beforeit reaches outside the box. By this means l accomplish a great saving oi' oil, that by the old coustructious is wastcd.

.It may be observed that the lubricant is readily carried oil' by the rapid revolution ol' the shai't, and, ii' not arrested, much ot' it is -wasted It may also be said that modification, within wide range, o i' the manner of monnting the oil rollers maybe adopted without departing from the spirit of my invention; hence l do not wish to confine myself to the exact Construction shown.

Having described my invention and the manner of carrying the same into eli'ect, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

l. The combination, with the axle and axlebox or other journal of a 'ailroadear, of two or more lubricating-r0llers arranged to auto matically adjust themselves to the Varying conditions oi' the axle and to the axle-boxes of 'arying depths when interposed between the axle and box, snbstantially as described.

The eombinatio,with an automatic series of adjusting roller-lubricators, of an axle and axle-box, one or more of said series being in contact with the axle and with a supply roller or rollers, the latter being in a novable frame resting on the bottom of the axle-box, and the former being superposed thereon and attached by yielding or fiexible connections, substantially as described. r

3. The conbination, ina caraxle luhricator, ot' the t'rame having fixed supply-rollers, one or more distribnting-rollers flexibly (zonnectcd to the fixed rollers, said rollers and frame being interposed between the axle and box and in contact therewith, and adapted to be adjustable to the Varying movements of the axle in either direction, as described.

et. In a ear-axle lubricator, the eonbination of axle A, frane E, resting on the bottom oi' said box, rollers a d, andf, flexibly connected and made adj ustabl e with the axle, as described.

5. The combination,in a car-axlelubricator, of the frame E, rollers (l I), and f, connectingrods c d, and spring c, as set forth.

(i. The combination, with an automatically adjustable lubricating-roller, ot' the frame E and oil-saving dcvice F, the latter being adiustable to the axle and adapted to be carried by the framc lougitudinally, as shown and described.

7. The combination, with an axle-lubricator, ot' the oil-saving device, consisting ol' arms B, standards H, springs I, cross -hcad J, and scrapcr F, withthe axle, as set i'orth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I hereunto aflix my signatnrcin presence of two witnesses.

ADDISON BRAJ'WORI).

W'itnesses:

B. F. Moi snLL, E. DUFFY.

IOO- 

